May 5, 2010

COLUMBIA, S.C. – University of South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley announced today Lisa Boyer has been promoted to associate head coach. Boyer just completed her second season on the Gamecock sideline and has worked on Staley’s staff since 2002.

“The title is long overdue as I’ve always considered Lisa a co-head coach,” Staley said. “Her knowledge, experience and expertise are second to none in the game. I just appreciate her sacrifice as a friend and a professional in helping me in every stage of my career.”

“In the 14 years I’ve known Dawn, I’ve coached her, we’ve become friends, and now she is my boss,” Boyer said. “It has been an honor to play those various roles in her life and career. Dawn has a very clear vision of how she wants her teams to play, and I do whatever I can to help those teams reach their goals. I am humbled to work side by side with her every day and to walk this journey with her.”

Boyer has served as both a head coach and an assistant coach in the college and professional ranks during her 28-year coaching career. As South Carolina’s recruiting coordinator, she has been a key figure in some of the nation’s top players joining the Gamecock roster.

Prior to her reunion with Staley on the Temple bench in 2002, Boyer spent five seasons as an assistant coach for the WNBA’s Cleveland Rockers. In her final year with the organization, she became the first female to serve on an NBA coaching staff as John Lucas brought her onto his Cleveland Cavaliers bench in 2001-02. Boyer opened her coaching career in the professional ranks in the American Basketball League (ABL) as the head coach of the Richmond (later Philadelphia) Rage, where she coached Staley for one season.

Boyer’s college coaching resume includes stints as the head coach at Bradley University (1986-96) and Converse College (1982-83) as well as assistant coach positions at Virginia Tech (1985-86), University of Miami (Ohio) (1984-85), East Carolina (1983-84) and Davidson (1981-82).